Kon-dō, One of the Main Religious Buildings on Mount Kōya

Danjo Garan’s Kon-dō (Golden Hall) is where the most important Buddhist ceremonies are performed. It is the temple complex’s main hall and it enshrines Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaishajyaguru), the Medicine Buddha.

Construction began in 819 and the building was originally called the Kodo, or Lecture Hall, but it was not completed before Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai) entered into eternal meditation. It has since been destroyed by fire and rebuilt six times, the last time being in 1926. The present building dates from 1934 and is 24 metres long, 30 metres wide and 24 metres tall.

The statue of Yakushi Nyorai is not displayed to the public and is flanked by two large mandalas, each with its own altar. Wall paintings show the eight offering bodhisattvas in the corners, and a beautiful large mural of the Buddha’s enlightenment on the north side of the Kon-dō.